News and Events

PowerLight Installs Large Solar Arrays
in
California

The largest city-owned solar installation in the country atop San
Francisco's Moscone Center.Credit: PowerLight

Two Sonoma County vineyards are now relying on sunshine for more than
its propensity to ripen grapes. A 766-kilowatt system built by PowerLight
Corporation and covering 60,000 square feet of roof space atop Rodney
Strong Vineyard's barrelhouse recently began providing a significant
portion of the winery's power needs. The system went online earlier this
year, and PowerLight is in the process of installing a 457-kilowatt
system for St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa to be completed in May.
Vineyards may be particularly appropriate for solar power applications
due to their customary flat-roofed storage areas and sunny locations. See
PowerLight's
press releases on the installations.

PowerLight is also responsible for installing the largest city-owned
solar installation in the country, a similar 60,000 square-foot flatroof
installation on San Francisico's Moscone Center. Mayor Gavin Newsome
dedicated the 675-kilowatt system on March 18. In addition to the array,
the Moscone Center installed new building controls and energy efficient
lighting. According to PowerLight, the solar power and the
energy-efficiency measures together will make available more than five
million kilowatt-hours annually. See the
press
release.

World Wind Power Development Figures Show
Continued
Growth

Wind turbines at Lake Benton, Minnesota.Credit: FPL Energy

The world saw 8,133 new megawatts of wind power installed in 2003,
according to figures released last week by the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA) and European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), bringing
the world's total wind power generating capacity to 39,294
megawatts.

With an annual growth rate of more than 35% over the last five years,
Europe leads the world in wind energy development, according to the
report. The country with the most wind capacity is Germany, followed by
the United States, Spain, India, and Austria. Global cumulative capacity
increased by 26% in 2003. For a closer look at the figures, see the
press release on
the report.

To bring investors up to date on wind technology's progress and
potential, the global wind industry will focus on financing issues at the
Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition in Chicago next week. To
find out more about the conference, see the
press release.

Coalition Works to Protect Bats from
Turbines

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) joined with
government and wildlife conservation organizations recently to address a
newly discovered problem of bats hitting wind turbines. Wind power
providers found bats fatally collided with turbines in West Virginia,
Tennessee, Minnesota, and Wyoming last year. Bats play an important role
as primary predators of night flying insects, including many major
agricultural pests and they pollinate plants and disperse
seeds.

AWEA is working with a coalition of scientists at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, wildlife biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and conservationists from Bats Conservation International to
research ways to prevent bat deaths from wind turbines in the future.
Several wind energy companies (FPL Energy, GE Wind Energy, NEG Micon,
Clipper Windpower, Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation, U.S. Wind
Force, Vestas-American Wind Technology, and Zilhha Renewable Energy) are
providing matching funds for the cooperative effort to save bats. See the
joint press
release from the coalition.

States Offer Renewable Energy
Funding

Several states around the country are offering up money
this year to support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Homeowners and businesses in Wisconsin can receive cash-back rewards of
up to $35,000 to help them install, expand, or repair commercially
available solar and wind systems. Homeowners may also access up to
$30,000 to install or expand commercially available solar hot water
systems. The money is being offered through the Focus on Energy program,
Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative. Focus on
Energy is also offering grants of up to $70,000 to businesses for
installing commercially available bioenergy systems that produce
electricity and use thermal energy. Low interest loans are also available
for some renewables projects.

Focus on Energy claims that nearly 3,000 Wisconsin businesses have
reduced their annual energy expenses by a total of nearly $15 million
since July of 2001 due to energy efficiency improvements. Over their
lifetime, these improvements will save state businesses $120.6 million.
For example, McCain Foods USA will save more than $49,000 annually in
electricity costs after upgrading the compressed air systems at its
potato processing plant in Plover, WI. By reducing annual electricity
consumption by more than 1.4 million kilowatt-hours, the improvement will
pay for itself in two years. For more information on Wisconsin's grants
and efficiency programs, see the
Focus on Energy Web
site.

In Connecticut, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund is offering funding
through a new three-year program for photovoltaic installations on
commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The fund seeks
proposals over the next three years and will provide funding to projects
that demonstrate solar as a viable clean energy resource in Connecticut.
See the Clean Energy
Fund's press release on the program.

In Hawaii, the Hawaiian Electric Company is partnering with investors in
order to finance renewable energy projects connected to the electrical
grid. With initial approval to invest up to $10 million in renewable
energy generation projects, the Company is seeking projects that have a
capacity of at least 1 megawatt and a planned commercial date of
operation no later than December 31, 2008. Proposals are due by April 22,
2004. For more information, see the
Company's
Web site.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
has a announced that $12 million is available to support demonstration,
feasibility study, and product development of distributed generation or
combined heat and power systems. The deadline for proposals is April 29,
2004. For more information see
NYSERDA's Web
site.

The State of Pennsylvania's Energy Harvest Initiative recently completed
its first year by granting $5 million in funds to 32 recipients. The
grants are designed to promote advanced energy technologies. The largest
grant, of $54,182 went to Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension of
Westmoreland County to install and demonstrate a hybrid wind and solar
energy generation system at the Donohoe Center Complex in Greensburg. The
system offers a source of green power and will be used to develop
educational programs for farmers and rural residents. Governor Edward G.
Rendell has announced plans to expand the Energy Harvest Initiative by
$80 million over four years. For more information on Energy Harvest see
the
Web
site.

California Orders 30 Hydrogen-Fueled
Cars

California's South Coast Air Quality Management District
(SCAQMD) has approved $2.3 million for Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies
Worldwide, Inc., to provide engineering, design, and development of
advanced hydrogen fuel systems for a fleet of 30 Toyota Prius hybrid
electric vehicles. The test fleet will also meet Super Ultra Low
Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) emissions levels and will be demonstrated at
sites such as the SCAQMD headquarters and the cities of Burbank, Ontario,
Riverside, Santa Ana, and Santa Monica.

In addition to commissioning the vehicles, the SCAQMD has initiated an
effort to establish a network of hydrogen fueling stations. This program
is part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Hydrogen Highway Initiative,
which proposes to install hydrogen fueling stations approximately every
20 miles along major freeways throughout California. See
Quantum's press
release.

Site News

Affordable Comfort, Inc., (ACI) strives to
improve the way old and new residential buildings perform in terms of
health, safety, and energy efficiency. ACI works to accomplish this
mission through its national and regional conferences, and its training
and educational initiatives to promote a systems approach to
construction, remodeling, and repair and operation. The Web site
currently includes information about the Affordable Comfort Conference
2004, which runs from April 26th to May 1st in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.

Energy Connections

Sustainable Design Reaches Lower Manhattan

Large
cities offer unique challenges and opportunities for sustainability. New
York City is known for inventive uses of its limited space, such as
rooftop green spaces, and in recent years has experimented with some of
the first green designs for high-rise buildings and mixed-use buildings.
Several notable guidelines for high performance building "New York
City's High Performance Building Guidelines" and, from the evolving
lower Manhattan, Battery Park City's "Green Guidelines" have
emerged from New York's experiments in green design.

Following the example of fellow lower downtown developers, the developers
of the World Trade Center site are compiling their own sustainable design
guides specific to the site. The guidelines exist in preliminary form as
part of the recently released environmental impact statement for the
site. In addition to calling for 20% of the building's energy to be
generated by renewable resources, the guidelines call for developers to
incorporate local and recycled materials as well as products made from
renewable agricultural resources for interior and insulating materials.
The guidelines integrate energy, water, land, and construction issues,
and will evolve as a result of the public review process currently
underway.